RUMOR MILL ARCHIVE

by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio

POSTED 9:05 a.m. EDT, September 30, 2004

RICKY RUNNING BACK TO THE NFL?

Based on our discussions with league sources, there's still a possibility that Dolphins running back Ricky Williams will try to return to the team as soon as this season.

Although Williams supposedly has retired, we've heard that the retirement papers weren't submitted by him directly, but through an attorney.  Since Williams apparently didn't personally sign off on the papers, there's a chance (some believe) that he could rescind the retirement without having to sit out the entire season.  

(This theory ignores the concept of ratification, given that Ricky has since acted like someone who has retired from the game.  But what the hell -- it's intriguing nevertheless.)

Another issue is the drug program.  No one knows what level he would've reached if he hadn't retired.  If, however, he unretires, he'll ultimately head to the next level of the program.

So if he were already at the 4-game suspension level, coming back would cause him to miss an entire season.  But if he isn't at the 4-game suspension level (and an unretirement gets him there), it's possible that the NFL would give him credit for the time he already has missed.

Indeed, in a year where NFL players are dropping like sh-t from a St. Bernard, the league would be smart to do anything it can to get one of its superstars back onto the field.

Though no one is talking yet in these terms, the rash of season-ending injuries necessarily is diluting the on-field product.  And at a time when the NFL is trying to posture for another multi-billion-dollar haul from the networks, the last thing they need is a season that eventually devolves into a bunch of second-stringers trying to grope their way to Jacksonville.

We're not officially reported that Ricky will try to return this season, but we're confident based on our discussions with folks in the know that it remains an option.  And the $8.6 million arbitration award hanging over his head might, in the end, be the straw that pushes the camel back into the game.  

STEINBERG NOT TO BLAME FOR RICKY'S DEAL

Given the NFL community's interest in this here site, it's no surprise that we've received more than a few e-mails from agents questioning the decision of agent Leigh Steinberg to permit Ricky Williams to sign a deal that allowed the team to recoup such a huge chunk of incentive money.

Many of those agents likely hope that we'll run a piece lambasting Steinberg, so that those agents can then use our analysis against him in the recruiting wars.  Although we're not above ripping into an agent for doing and/or saying stupid things, our assessment of the Williams deal is that Steinberg did what he had to do in order to get the deal done.

(And for those of you who think we're coddling Steinberg, please peruse our March 2004 archives and search for the word "Galloway.")

Back to Ricky, let's rewind to 1999.  Williams is drafted by the Saints.  His agent is rapper and NBA wannabe Percy "Master P" Miller.  Williams signs a deal that pays him $9 million up front and minimum salaries.  The contract contains incentives that require him, for example, to rush for 6,400 yards in four seasons.

Fast forward to 2002.  Ricky gets traded from the Saints to Miami, a year after the post-Ditka regime in New Orleans unexpectedly selects Deuce McAllister in the first round of the draft -- and weeks after Ricky is busted for driving his car at a rate of 126 miles per hour.

Once in Miami, Ricky's misfortunes continue.  He is arrested after missing a court date on the 126 mph speeding ticket.  Word breaks in April that he was fined $85,000 the prior season by the team for missing meetings and other assorted rules violations.  

Then, in June 2002, Ricky is arrested outside the offices of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, a Ft. Lauderdale newspaper.  The paper carries a photo of Williams -- shirtless and in handcuffs -- sitting on a curb while his Hummer with expired tags was being searched for drugs.  A fairly prominent resident of Ft. Lauderdale (you might have heard of him; his friends call him Wayne Huizenga) sees the photo, reads the story, and develops even greater concerns about the player that his NFL franchise recently has acquired for, as it eventually turns out, two first-round draft picks.

Meanwhile, Ricky wants a new contract.  Though he averaged more than $3 million a year through the first three seasons of his rookie deal, he was getting into the "you got hosed" portion of the rookie contract.  Huizenga, alarmed by Williams' recent behavior (not to mention a history that included wearing a helmet with a face shield during interviews), wants to wait a year before increasing Ricky's pay.

But Ricky still wants a new contract.  Eventually, an incentive-based structure is negotiated, which protects the Dolphins against poor performance and rewards Ricky for getting the job done.

As further protection against good performance (thereby triggering the incentives) followed by bad and/or unpredictable behavior, the Fins also insist on language allowing the team to recoup the extra money he earns if he ultimately fails or refuses to fulfill the contract.  Williams signs the deal -- and new agent Leigh Steinberg allows him to do so -- because Williams has no other leverage at the time.

So we've got no quarrel with Steinberg's role in this.  Ricky knew that the only way to get a new deal -- and to keep the incentive money -- was to agree to honor its terms.  He didn't.  End of story.

But we're certain that the broader saga isn't over yet, and we have a feeling that it's all gonna get weirder before it ever starts to make any sense. 

WINSLOW'S BONUS GOES BYE-BYE

In what could be the final nail in the Poston brothers' coffin, Browns rookie tight end Kellen Winslow will not return to the field in 2004.  As a result, Winslow will not be eligible to earn $5.367 million in incentive money that was tied directly to his appearance in at least 35 percent of the team's offensive snaps.

Unless the Browns resort to punting on first down for the rest of the season (hey, it couldn't hurt), there's no way that Winslow's appearance in nearly two full games will be enough to meet the 35-percent threshold.

The glitch in Winslow's contract was first spotted by Liz Mullen of the Sports Business Journal, who reported with an eerie degree of prescience that Winslow could lose out on a big chunk of his supposedly guaranteed money, since the play-time incentive doesn't roll over into future years (as it normally/usually/always does).

And, in hindsight, it's obvious that Winslow and his agents, Carl and Kevin Poston, considered the $5.367 million payment to be a sure thing.  As we reported on August 13, we'd been told that Winslow was getting only $11.132 in true bonus money -- not the $16.5 million that had been reported.  

The difference?  $5.368 million.  (We suspect that the bonus techincally was for $11.1325, and that the incentive payment is $5.3675, which accounts for the $10,000 discrepancy.)

Meanwhile, the Browns have to be feeling pretty good about the situation (even though they'd be smart to play this one like Sgt. Schulz).  Thursday's article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer describes Winslow's overall outlook as "positive," and coach Butch Davis expressed relief that a post-operative exam on Winslow's broken leg revealed a problem with an ankle ligament, which necessitated a second surgery -- and wiped out any chance of earning the incentive.

"To be honest with you, I'm kind of glad," Davis said, "because wouldn't it have been a tragedy to have let it go 4-8 weeks, let him try to come back and play right after the open date [Oct. 31] and maybe it hadn't been fixed.  So, as much of a disappointment as it is, maybe it's a real blessing that you know you're going to get him back 100 percent."

And it's even more of a blessing that the team gets to keep $5.367 million in its pocketses.

Of course, it remains to be seen whether the Browns do anything to fix this glitch.  As a practical matter, the Browns want their player to be happy -- and he ain't gonna be that when he comes back next year with more than $5 million less in his mattress than he presumed he'd have.

Also, the Postons surely will try to deflect the blame for the mistake onto the team (as they are doing with their $6.5 million blunder in the LaVar Arrington contract extension).  Sooner or later, though, it becomes far more of an embarrassment for their stable of players to not make a change than it would be for them to admit that their agents simply don't have the basic level of competence necessary to properly negotiate these big-money deals.

At this point, does anyone genuinely believe that they do?

THURSDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS

New Bears QB Chad Hutchinson is overwhelmed by the team's 1,000-page playbook; "Wow," he said, "it's an encyclopedia."  ("Dude," we say, "it's only a playbook -- deal with it or get a job at Sonic.")

Giants RB Ron Dayne is questionable with a calf injury.

The Dolphins have acknowledged that they contacted the Jets about a possible trade for RB LaMont Jordan.

In a surprise move, the Pats placed rookie TE Ben Watson on injured reserve; they've signed TE Jed Weaver to replace him on the roster.

Packers QB Brett Favre is listed as probable on the injury report despite a bruised leg and a chronic shoulder problem that he first revealed this week.

There's reason for hope in Buffalo -- the rapid healing of J.P. Losman's broken leg means that Drew Bledsoe can be put out of his (and everyone else's) misery in as little as three weeks.

Vikings QB Daunte Culpepper and Colts QB Peyton Manning are the offensive players of the week.

Rams DB Aeneas Williams is moving back to safety after one week at corner.

Eagles QB Donovan McNabb attributed his improved accuracy to offseason laser eye surgery; he was kidding, but plenty of people bought it, including the Great Gazoo.

Dolphins coach Dave Wannstedt took a shot at FIU coach Don Strock (a former Dolphins quarterback), who criticized Miami's offseason moves and media leaks last week.

Jags TE Kyle Brady has a staph infection in his broken finger, and could miss several more weeks.

Steelers LB Kendrell Bell has spent the first chunk of his contract year in street clothes.

From the "What Does It Take To Make Yous People Happy?" file, the 3-0 Jags might not sell out Sunday's home game against the 2-1 Colts.

Redskins receivers coach Stan Hixon has rejoined the team; his son, Drew, is still in a coma following an on-field injury but he is showing signs of improvement.

The Bucs have released G Kerry Jenkins, a starter on the 2002 Super Bowl winner, from injured reserve.

Texans RB Tony Hollings has returned to practice after missing two weeks with a bruised knee.

Titans WR Tyrone Calico practiced with the first team on Wednesday for the first time since suffering a pair of knee injuries in the preseason.

POSTED 9:18 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 9:35 p.m. EDT, September 28, 2004

HUGGIES HEADING TO MIAMI?

With the Dolphins placing running back Lamar Gordon on injured reserve with a dislocated shoulder, we're hearing that the Chiefs and the Fins are closing in on a trade that would send Larry "Huggies" Johnson to Miami for safety Arturo Freeman.

On September 26, the Miami Herald reported that Freeman would welcome a trade.  Freeman lost his starting job to Antuan Edwards, signed in the offseason from the Packers.

The Fins acquired Gordon last month for a third round draft choice.  Prior to Gordon's injury, it looked as if the Fins got the better of the deal.  If Johnson heads to Miami and Ricky Williams comes out of retirement next season in order to reduce his $8.6 million debt to the team, the Dolphins will have three tailbacks to deal with, and at least one of them almost surely will be traded.

For the Chiefs, trading their 2003 first-rounder for a fifth-year player drafted in the fifth round of the 2000 draft represents, in our view, an implicit concession that they screwed the pooch by not drafting a defensive player.  They could have had, for example, Andre Woolfolk, Nick Barnett, Sammy Davis, Nnamdi Asomugha, Boss Bailey, Charles Tillman, Eugene Wilson, E.J. Henderson, Ken Hamlin, Mike Doss, etc., etc., etc.

The Chiefs' thinking at the time, of course, was to have an in-house insurance policy in the event Priest Holmes' hip injury hadn't healed.  We also suspect that King Carl Peterson wanted some leverage in the event that Holmes healed but decided to hold out, since at the time he was pissing and moaning about his deal.  So in lieu of grabbing a free agent on the open market, the Chiefs wasted a first-rounder on a guy who, in the end, will have done nothing for the organization.

McKENZIE TRADE NOT IMMINENT

Notwithstanding rumors that a trade of Packers cornerback Mike McKenzie to the Saints is imminent, we're hearing that, for now, the talks are merely intensifying.

This doesn't mean that a deal won't get done -- and soon -- but the notion that it will happen any minute now is an exaggeration.

McKenzie reported two weeks ago after a lengthy holdout.  The six-year veteran is unhappy with his contract, which he believes that he has outplayed.  Thus, any team who signs him will be required as a practical matter to sign him to a new contract. 

TUESDAY NIGHT ONE-LINERS

Steve Spurrier is back -- and he's grown a few inches, sprouted a moustache, and changed his name to Dave Wannstedt.

The NFL is going to hear RB Onterrio Smith's appeal of his four-game suspension this week; if upheld, the Vikes will be without the brink-of-stardom back when they return to action on October 10.

Candlestick Park will be known as Monster Park for the next four years.

Vikings LB E.J. Henderson, originally thought to be out as long as a month will a knee injury, will now possibly miss only one game.

POSTED 3:30 p.m. EDT, September 28, 2004

JOEY GOOSES FAT TONY

Lions quarterback Joey Harrington responded on Monday to disparaging comments from Fox's Tony Siragusa during Detroit's 30-13 loss to the Eagles on Sunday.

Per the Detroit Free Press, the following exchange occurred between sideline guy Siragusa and Fox booth foofs Dick Stockton and Moose Johnston.

"[Harrington] seemed a little different than what I expected," Siragusa said. "I thought he was a little bit too overconfident . . . .  Just a different kind of guy.  Not a meat-and-potato guy but a very sophisticated man. That's as much as I can go into right now."

Johnson:  "More champagne and caviar than meat and potatoes?"

Siragusa:  "Yeah, I wouldn't see him going out and ordering a beer any time soon to tell you the truth."

Stockton:  "In other words, he may not be your kind of guy, Goose?"

Siragusa:  "He's the kind of guy that's on the other side of the club than I am.  He's over there with the champagne and caviar.  And also the strawberries and chocolate, you know?"

Stockton: "We get the idea."

Setting aside for now (and possibly forever) the question of whether the Goose was insinuating that Joey is among the inevitable throng of deeply closeted gay NFL players (not that there's anything wrong with that), Harrington didn't appreciate the idea that being a nice guy doesn't mesh with being a successful football player.

"Am I supposed to care what he says?" Harrington asked. "I'm not his kind of guy?  Why, because I was cordial in the production meeting?  Because I tried to be articulate?  Because I smile when I play?  Because I enjoy myself out there?  Because I'm not a Billy Bad-Ass?

"I was raised a certain way.  I was raised to be polite, I was raised to look someone in the eye and when they ask you a question, you answer it.

"If he's got a problem with the way I play, then go ahead and say it.  But if he looks at how I play, I don't think he'd be making those comments.

"If he looks at how I work, I don't think he'd be making those comments.  If he came to the parking lot and checked to see whose car was the last one out of here each day, he wouldn't be making those comments."

Still, Harrington couldn't resist taking a dig at Siragusa, who parlayed his late-career fame as a member of the Baltimore Ravens into an attempted shot at becoming this generation's Artie Donovan.

"It's nice playing in front of the best linebacker in the history of the game, isn't it?"  Harrington said.  (Joey, you need someone to write material for you.  Seriously.)

Fox had no comment as to the emerging brouhaha.  Siragusa, who currently is staying at the Regent Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills, did not return calls from the Free Press.

And at the Regent Beverly Wilshire, we assumed they serve plenty of champagne and caviar, and strawberries and cream.

CORNRICH IN HOT WATER?

Liz Mullen of the Sports Business Journal reports that the NFLPA's disciplinary committee is looking into the question of whether Neil Cornrich violated the union's agent regulations by working as an expert witness against the estate of former Chiefs linebacker Derrick Thomas, who died 16 days after an automobile accident that left him paralyzed in January 2000.

Cornrich was paid $1,000 an hour by General Motors to testify in a deposition and to provide reports and expert analysis of Thomas’ earning capacity.  Last month, a jury ruled that GM was not responsible for the accident.  

“It is an issue that the disciplinary committee will look at,” said Gene Upshaw, executive director of the NFLPA. “Simply from the perspective of an agent testifying against a player, a deceased player, there are some issues there.  It is upsetting that he got paid $1,000 an hour to do it.”

Mullen reports that, according to unnamed sources, "the union is particularly perturbed because it has some evidence that Cornrich used his NFLPA-certified agent password to get access
to the union’s Web site and some of its proprietary research about older NFL players."  Thomas was 33 when he died, and he had spent eleven seasons as one of the NFL's premier defensive players.  

Cornrich wouldn't comment on whether he got information from the NFLPA Web site (hello smoke, meet your good friend fire), but he claims that he did nothing wrong by serving as an expert witness against Thomas' interests.

“I am completely at a loss as to the inquiry by the association into this matter,” Cornrich said. “The player . . . was not even covered by the collective-bargaining agreement at the time of the litigation.”

Um, yeah.  Thomas wasn't covered by the CBA because he was dead, Neil.  He was dead.  Though we'll admit that we're not chapter-and-verse conversant with the terms of the entire CBA, we're fairly certain that it doesn't apply to dead guys.

But for Cornrich's lame-ass effort to explain away his involvement (and assuming he didn't pull a Hadley Englehard with the NFLPA Web site), we'd feel some sympathy for his situation.  Being an agent doesn't require a guy to exhibit any specific loyalty to every NFL player -- only to those whom he happens to represent.

Indeed, in this age of free agency and the salary cap, every agent who represents a player that wants the biggest possible piece of the pie necessarily is attempting to harm the interests of one or more other players who want that same money.  

Moreover, it's somewhat ironic that the NFLPA would climb onto a soapbox over this issue (assuming Cornrich didn't pull an Englehard) when it otherwise turns a blind eye and/or doles out wrist slaps to agents who have done far worse (e.g., Tom Condon's conscious circumvention of the cap rules and resulting payment of $100,000 to charity). 

In litigation, both sides have a right to utilize expert testimony.  Cornrich -- who didn't testify at trial -- supplied information that was used for the purposes of cross examining Thomas' agent, Leigh Steinberg.  If no NFLPA-licensed agent were permitted to assist General Motors in preparing a defense to the claim for damages, it would have been difficult-to-impossible for GM to get a fair shake in court.

Trust us -- we're not in the habit of shedding tears for GM or any other major corporation.  But every party to civil litigation is entitled to a basic degree of fairness, and the suggestion that the NFLPA can essentially slam the door on any agents who might be willing to provide calculations and/or testimony that could be used against an NFL player under any circumstances strikes us as patently unfair to the defendant, to the agent, and (most importantly) to the legal system.  

TUESDAY AFTERNOON ONE-LINERS

Lions C Dominic Raiola will have a surgical procedure to correct an irregular heartbeat -- and will not miss a game (meanwhile, Steve McNair spent two nights in the hospital with a bruised sternum). 

Titans QB Steve McNair likely will miss Sunday's game against the Chargers with a severely bruised sternum, and his availability for the next several games in unclear.

The Chiefs have talked to Tampa, Miami, Philadelphia, and Dallas about a possible trade of second-year RB Larry "Huggies" Johnson; coach Dick Vermeil said Monday that he doesn't want to part with Johnson (that, boys and girls, is called a vain attempt to restore leverage).

Packers rookie defensive backs Joey Thomas and Ahmad Carroll got into a fight last week following a meeting.

For as bad as the Cardinals have been over the past generation, a loss on Sunday will be the first time they've started 0-4 since 1986. 

Bears coach Lovie Smith took exception to Randy Moss's suggestion that the Bears staff teaches defensive players to head hunt.

POSTED 7:37 a.m. EDT, September 28, 2004

BAY OF PIGS REDUX?

It's been more than a decade since both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Green Bay Packers both finished a season under .500.  In fact, the last time that both Bays suffered bad teams at the same time was 1991, when the Packers were 4-12 and the Bucs finished 3-13.  

Three weeks into 2004, it's obvious that the Bucs are on track for a more-than-eight-loss season -- and it's also possible that the 1-2 Packers also will end up on the wrong side of nine or more losses.

As a result, there's already talk around the league regarding whether either or both franchises will make changes after the season aimed at improving their talent evaluation and selection function.

In Green Bay, the passing of Mark Hatley essentially requires the team to add another talent specialist after the season.  The deeper concern remains whether coach/G.M. Mike Sherman has too much responsibility -- and whether he's properly using his front office staff to assist him with the personnel aspects of the gig.

Possible candidates to come in and help after the year are Ted Thompson, Scot McCloughan, Mike Reinfeldt, and/or Randy Mueller.  Also, there's a chance that in-house guys like John Dorsey or John Schneider will be given increased responsibilities.

As to Tampa, we recently explained that the Bucs are disintegrating with Jon Gruden as the de facto G.M.  Fixing the issue is a bit more delicate, since the team technically has a General Manager.  But Bruce Allen is primarily a cap-and-contracts guy, despite his football pedigree.  He's not a classic personnel man, and that's what the "Bring 'Em In and Sign 'Em Up" Bucs need so badly.

Possible additions to the front office -- with a title other than G.M. but many of the duties -- include Mueller, Thompson, and Bills assistant G.M. Tom Modrak.

The thinking is that the specific configuration and duties of any new hires in Tampa will depend on how poorly the team does this year.  If the first three weeks are any indication, 3-13 is hardly out of the question.

A down year wouldn't be a shocker for either team, really.  The Packers have enjoyed a long run of competitive seasons, the start of which coincided with the arrival of Brett Favre.  If the years are finally catching up with Brett, the window could be closing on this team -- at least for the short term.

POSTED 9:00 p.m. EDT, September 27, 2004

GIBBS GREASING SKIDS FOR VINNY'S EXIT?

When Redskins owner Dan Snyder hired long-retired coach Joe Gibbs to take over a franchise that has been swinging and missing for the past few years under guys like Marty Schottenheimer and Steve Spurrier, we suspected that Vinny Cerrato's days were numbered.

Various league insiders agreed, specifically those who believe that Cerrato is a talentless fraud who, but for his job with the 'Skins, wouldn't be earning a paycheck from an NFL team.  (These are expressions of opinion only, of course.)  The thinking was/is that Gibbs can sniff out a rat quickly, and that the Hall-of-Fame coach soon would conclude that Cerrato adds nothing to the operation.  (Again, these are expressions of opinion.)

As it turns out, however, Cerrato has managed to hang around through roughly eight months under the same roof with Gibbs.  But that, we're hearing, could soon change.

Cerrato, we hear, was telling folks during first-round rookie Sean Taylor's early struggles that he wanted to draft Kellen Winslow, but that the coaching staff pushed for Taylor.  Gibbs, we're told, caught wind of Cerrato's statements, which apparently has prompted Gibbs to lay the foundation for a change.

MARTZ GETS TESTY

Rams coach Mike Martz didn't react well to questions regarding his decision to call only 14 running plays -- as opposed to 55 passing plays -- against the Saints on Sunday in a 28-25 loss.

"Look, you can find another coach then," Martz said, apparently doing his best impression of a little league mentor who's grown tired of the parents second-guessing his decisions.  "We're going to play fast and furious, that's what we do, and we're going to run it because we want to run it, not because somebody feels like we've got to be balanced.

"That's just the way it is. Get used to it."

Oooooooo.

Martz understandably is getting nervous.  With each passing year, the memories of his role in the team's only Super Bowl win are getting more and more cracked and yellowed, and his own resume of disappointment sprinkled with mediocrity is growing.

But lashing out at critics will do nothing to improve his situation.  The last thing he needs is a building torrent of criticism from media types who already have concluded that it's time for Martz to pack up his "War and Peace" playbook and move on.  Acting like a boob when facing the inevitable questions that follow a tough loss will do little to persuade writers to get off of his back.

Look for the situation to get worse before it gets better.  No matter how much Martz tries to talk others (and himself) into thinking that the 2004 version of his team has potential, the Rams of old never had to explain away getting beaten by supposedly inferior teams.  

Now, it looks like the Rams are one of the inferior teams.

MONDAY NIGHT ONE-LINERS

We wonder how the Commish will respond to news that the Packers and QB Brett Favre has been concealing an injury to his non-throwing shoulder for two years; coach Mike Sherman says he's known about the injury for at least a year.

This week's "I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up" list includes Bears QB Rex Grossman, Bucs RB Charlie Garner, Eagles FB Jon Ritchie, Browns LB Ben Taylor, and Bengals LB Nate Webster.

The AP's Dave Goldberg takes a long look at the rash of serious injuries that have decimated NFL rosters (could all those weeks of offseason workouts be to blame?).

Cardinals coach Dennis Green said that QB Josh McCown will keep his starting job despite getting yanked on Sunday in favor of Shaun King.

The Bears have signed QB Chad Hutchinson, who last played for the Cowboys.

Raiders QB Rich Gannon will miss at least six weeks with a broken vertebra in his neck.

Titans QB Steve McNair will spend another night in the hospital with a bruised sternum.

Broncos coach Mike Shanahan is hopeful that CB Lenny Walls will return this week.

Dolphins RB Lamar Gordon could be out for the year with a dislocated shoulder; he's doubtful for Sunday's game against the Jets.

After 156-yard debut against the Chiefs, Broncos RB Quentin Griffin has struggled; he ran for 7 yards on 12 carries and lost another fumble in a 23-13 win over the Chargers.

Bucs coach Jon Gruden paid homage to one-hit wonder Timbuk 3 in describing his team's prospects; next he'll be saying that the glass is 2 percent full.

POSTED 8:37 a.m. EDT, September 27, 2004

CHIEFS SHOULDN'T BE SURPRISED

Although the result of Sunday's game -- a 24-21 loss at home to the upstart Houston Texans -- should come as a shock to the Chiefs and their devotees, no aspect of the team's 0-3 start should, as a practical matter, surprise anyone.

Around the league, the thinking has been/will be that the Chiefs inexplicably failed to do anything to prop up a moribund defense in the 2004 offseason.  It's the same defense, after all, that was shredded so thoroughly by the Colts in the divisional round of the playoffs that it drew a diss from the staid and stoic Paul Tagliabue in his pre-Super Bowl "State of the League" address.

Dumping defensive coordinator Greg Robinson and hiring in his place former Chiefs head coach Gunther Cunningham is the only significant move that the organization made to shore up a pathetic defensive unit.  It seemed like a stroke of genius at the time but, in hindsight, how effective can a guy be after getting the Donald Trump treatment and then getting offered a lesser job a few years later?

But even if Buddy Ryan were the coordinator and mullets were still in style, this team simply doesn't have the horses to get it done.  The only veteran additions to last year's unit were defensive tackle Lional Dalton and safety Scott Shields, and less than half of the team's draft picks (i.e., 3 of 7) were used on the defensive side of the ball.

Coupled with the loss of offensive lineman John Tait and a rash of injuries that has decimated the receiving corps, the Chiefs no longer are in position to outscore teams.  

We also think that the team is having trouble getting beyond the demoralizing postseason loss to Indianapolis.  After busting their butts en route to a 13-3 record last year, only to have it all crash down in the first playoff game, it's hard (we think) for any team to get the right mindset in the following year to do what's necessary to win on a week-in, week-out basis.

The Chiefs might not be good, but at least they're smart enough to know that they can't play with the top teams in the AFC when it counts.  That implicit concession makes it difficult to care about playing the lesser teams.  And with the line between the supposed "good" teams and the supposed "bad" teams getting more blurry with every year that free agency takes deeper root, complacency is the only sure link to a piss-poor won-loss record.

Next up -- the Ravens on MNF, and 0-4 is on the way.

MONDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS

With the extent of the damage to QB Rex Grossman's knee unknown, the criticism already is beginning of the team's decision to sign QB Jonathan Quinn as the backup; based on Quinn's performance during the Bears' potential game-winning drive against the Vikings on Sunday, the criticism is justified.

At 3-0 and with a win against the Titans at Tennessee, the Jaguars are for real.

After two straight wins, the Giants finally are starting to figure out that Tom Coughlin might know a thing or two about coaching.

Vikings WR Randy Moss was fuming after the Bears game about a helmet-to-helmet hit by Bears S Todd Johnson on WR Nate Burleson.

Lions rookie WR Roy Williams is playing like the guy taken four spots ahead of him -- Larry Fitzgerald -- was supposed to.

Eagles DE Jevon Kearse is a Freak once again, picking up three sacks against the Lions on Sunday.

The biggest road win in franchise history also snapped a six-game losing streak for the Texans, who'll go for the first two-game winning streak ever when they host the Raiders on Sunday.

Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch predicts (correctly, we think) that Mike Martz's all-pass, no-run offense eventually will turn a bright-eyed, strong-armed Marc Bulger into a bleary-eyed, broken-down Kurt Warner.

Bucs G Cosey Coleman sums up the team's performance as follows:  "[W]e're all over the place on offense.  All over the place.  We've got no rhythm.  We aren't getting it done.''

The Eagles running game might have taken another long-term hit with a knee injury to FB Jon Ritchie.

Titans QB Steve McNair stayed overnight at a Tennessee hospital after getting his bruised sternum checked out via X-ray and CT scan (which potentially exposed McNair to as much radiation as more than 250 X-rays, but if it helps him play on Sunday, it's worth it, right?).

With RB Lamar Gordon suffering a shoulder injury, there are rumors of a trade that would send RB Larry "Huggies" Johnson to the Dolphins, possibly for S Arturo Freeman.

Ineffective first-round G Vernon Carey was inactive for Miami on Sunday night against the Steelers.

49ers QB Ken Dorsey, who was 56-4 in high school and college, can't recall ever getting blown out as badly as his team did by the Seahawks on Sunday.

Jerry Rice's streak of consecutive games with a catch is (drum roll, please) one, and counting.

The Ben Roethlisberger era begins for the Steelers with a muddy, wet win in Miami.

The injury-depleted Vikings have lost C Matt Birk, LB E.J. Henderson, and LB Chris Claiborne for at least two weeks each; when they next play on Oct. 10, they'll be without 6 of 22 opening-day starters. 

Bucs LB Derrick Brooks knocked Raiders QB Rich Gannon out of Sunday night's game with a back injury; X-rays were negative.

Tampa RB Charlie Garner could be out for the year after twisting up his knee on Sunday night.

Though Packers QB Brett Favre wasn't able to finish Sunday's 45-31 loss to Indy due to a lower-ass/upper-hammy strain, he's not expected to miss any time.

POSTED 7:47 a.m. EDT, September 25, 2004

GRUDEN'S NO G.M.

There's a growing consensus around the league that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers screwed the proverbial pooch when they handed control over personnel to coach Jon Gruden.

Last year, Gruden won a power struggle with G.M. Rich McKay, who had one foot out the door as the Bucs were in the throes of a desperate search for a head coach in early 2002.  McKay was presumed to be gone in favor of Mike Tannenbaum when it looked like Bill Parcells was coming to town.  Then, after the Tuna spit the hook, McKay was essentially neutered, with his recommendation that the team hire Marvin Lewis to be the coach was ignored.

After Gruden got the job, he and McKay co-existed relatively peacefully during the 2002 Super Bowl run.  But in 2003, strain was beginning to show, with Gruden wanting certain guys to be signed (i.e., any available free agent over 30 with name recognition) and McKay often resisting (see Smith, Emmitt).

So McKay left after the 2003 season for the Falcons, and Bruce Allen jumped from the Raiders to the Bucs as the new G.M.

But the feeling around the league is that Allen works for Gruden, and that Gruden calls the shots on personnel.

The problem, as some league insiders see it, is that Gruden has ripped apart a team that McKay so carefully had constructed.  The general approach in the salary cap era is to develop a nucleus of leaders and key players through the draft, and to round out the roster year-in and year-out with the addition of a handful of key free agents.  By avoiding an exodus of "core" players and an influx of new arrivals, the team develops a sense of continuity and cohesiveness.

Gone are Warren Sapp and John Lynch, arguably the heart and soul of a defense that became one of the best in the history of the league from 1997 through 2003.  New arrivals include Charlie Garner, Joey Galloway, Tim Brown, Todd Steussie, Ian Gold, Bill Schroeder, Greg Comella, Derrick Deese, Brian Griese, and Jamel White.

The end result has prompted some to conclude that Gruden has no game plan for building the team over the long haul, but that he merely hopes to sign whoever is available at any given moment, regardless of whether the player is a short-term or long-term fit.

Gruden's impulsive personality complicates matters in this regard, since he tends to pull the trigger on signing a guy before he thinks through the potential ramifications.  The end result is that the team is in turmoil, and its performance will continue to decline in 2004.  

Though Jon-Boy delivered the elusive Super Bowl trophy in his first season, our guess is that he won't be able to live off of the fumes of one successful season beyond 2005.  So his job will be to turn the program around in the next 12-15 months, or risk getting nudged out of an organization that gave up the farm to get him.   

SATURDAY ONE-LINERS

Former Packers QB Tim Couch, who can't find an NFL gig, might file a grievance against the team for cutting him while injured.

Redskins QB Mark Brunell took a third of the snaps in practice on Friday; his status for Monday night's game against the Redskins is a wait-and-see proposition, due to a tweaked hamstring.

Bears LB Brian Urlacher re-injured his hamstring on Friday; he's listed as questionable for Sunday.

The Fins-Steelers game is still set for Sunday at 1:00 p.m.; Hurricane Jeanne could push it back a day or two.

Chargers CB Quentin Jammer didn't practice on Friday due to a sprained ankle, but he expects to play on Sunday.

Vikings RB Michael Bennett recently learned that he sprained not only his MCL but also his ACL on Aug. 27; regardless, he's been cleared to return to practice next week.

A study by the University of Pennsylvania found that 90 percent of Native Americans don't find the term "Redskins" to be offensive (yeah, and 90 percent of African-Americans think the "N" word is fine and dandy, too).

Vikings coach Mike Tice might have to suit up and play tight end if injuries at the position don't stop soon.

Listed as doubtful on Monday with a hamstring injury, the Colts now expect RB Edgerrin James to play against the Packers.

The NFL will now impose a 15-yard penalty on teams that try to call time outs they don't have or can't use in an effort to mess with the offense.

Redskins LB LaVar Arrington was fined $5,000 for pulling on the face mask of Giants RB Tiki Barber last Sunday; the play wasn't flagged.

Rams FB Joey Goodspeed was surprised by a "swarming" Falcons defense that limited RB Marshall Faulk last week to 20 yards rushing.

The Baltimore Sun reports that "preliminary" talks soon will commence regarding new deals for Ravens LB Ray Lewis, TE Todd Heap, and CB Gary Baxter.

Packers CB Ahman Carroll won't play on Sunday due to a groin injury suffered in practice on Thursday.

Steelers CB Chad Scott returned to practice on Friday; he's listed as questionable for Sunday with a groin injury.

Giants S Shaun Williams injured a knee late in practice on Friday; he'll have an MRI and his status for Sunday is uncertain.

Jags DT John Henderson picked up his second $5,000 fine in as many weeks; the latest was the result of "clubbing" Broncos QB Jake Plummer in the head.

POSTED 5:39 p.m. EDT, September 24, 2004

RICKY MUST PAY

It was an issue that we were the first ones to raise amid the news that Dolphins running back Ricky Williams abruptly had retired.

How much money does Ricky owe to the Fins for bailing prematurely on his contract?

That question has been answered, and in fairly short order.  Less than two months after Ricky pulled the ultimate stiff arm against his former team, the Dolphins scored a major win in the form of an arbitrator's ruling that Williams owes the team $8.6 million in bonus and incentive money that he previously has received.

Ricky's options at this point are few.  He can pay the money and stay retired.  He can file for bankruptcy, if this $8.6 million liability (along with any other debts) exceeds his assets.

Or he can call the Dolphins and agree to come back next year, possibly in exchange for an agreement to waive their right to the money.

Our guess is that Miami's decision to pursue the money was driven by a combination of several factors, including the possibility of acquiring some leverage over Williams in the hopes of getting him to play again, the importance of sending a message to other players that they can't expect to be permitted to walk away with pockets stuffed full of the team's money, and notions of good, old-fashioned revenge.

If Ricky comes back next year, chances are the Fins will trade him.  Still, they will be receiving fair value in that instance for a guy they acquired via the sacrifice of draft picks -- and the payment to him of good money.

Then again, it's far from certain that the arbitration award will get Ricky's attention.  A rational person would take notice.  But, based on his past actions, rational is one of the few adjectives that couldn't be used to describe Ricky Williams. 

POSTED 8:31 a.m. EDT, September 24, 2004

MORE DIRECTV SHENANIGANS COMING?

With yet another hurricane looming off of the Atlantic coast, there's a possibility that Sunday's Steelers-Dolphins game will be moved (again) to Saturday.

And (again) DirecTV will be prohibited by the NFL from broadcasting the contest, which otherwise would be shown live as part of the NFL Sunday Ticket package (in markets, as many subscribers are learning to their chagrin, where the game is not offered by one of the local broadcast channels).

We also suspect that the game likewise will be shown on local television in Miami and Pittsburgh.  Since the Pitt Panthers host that football powerhouse otherwise known as Furman on Saturday afternoon, any broadcast of the NFL contest on that same day from the CBS affiliate in the 'Burgh would seemingly jeopardize (again) the league's antitrust exemption.  (Scroll down to September 12 for more.)

There's also been talk of moving the game to Monday or Tuesday.  We're hearing that the Customer Service Reps at DirecTV's call center in Kabul are telling folks that even if the game is moved to Monday or Tuesday it won't be shown on the satellite service.

Stay tuned.

POSTED 6:48 a.m. EDT, September 24, 2004

TICE CATCHING FLAK FOR NON-CHALLENGE

Around the league, Vikings coach Mike "Meathead" Tice is being criticized heavily for his failure to throw the red flag on Terrell Owens' touchdown catch that wasn't a catch during Monday night's loss to the Eagles.

Tice has a habit of tossing the red flag anytime something happens that he doesn't like -- even when the issue isn't something that can be reviewed.  But he kept the hankie in his trousers after the decisive play in the Vikings' 27-16 loss to Philly.

The word on Tice generally is that, while he is liked and respected by players, his game-day management skills are lacking.  Tice currently is in the final year of a three-year contract (the team holds an option on 2005), and gaffes like the one that occurred on Monday night won't do anything to extend his tenure.

Indeed, some folks consider the mistake to be one of the most significant in-game coaching blunders in years.

POSTONS IMPLODING?

There's increasing talk around the league that the Kellen Winslow contract mess could be the catalyst for a mass exodus of players from the services of Carl and Kevin Poston.

In less than a year, the Postons have made two key errors in player contracts.  Last December, they failed to read the final draft of an extension given by the Redskins to linebacker LaVar Arrington.  They claim that the contract failed to include a $6.5 million roster bonus that had been promised to Arrington, but they've admitted that they didn't peruse the final draft.

Now, with Winslow nursing a broken leg that could cause him not to meet the play-time trigger for his $5.367 million incentive payment that was considered to be part of his guaranteed money, the Postons are being criticized for their failure to include language in the contract that would have prompted this "falling off of the log" incentive to roll over into future years.

"It's mind boggling that they're still in business," one league insider told us on Thursday.  

They might not be in business for much longer.  With Rams left tackle Orlando Pace firing the Postons last month and two other high-profile clients (Julian Peterson and Charles Woodson) signing franchise tenders after failing to work out long-term deals, some folks around the league believe that the remaining stable of Postons clients eventually will scatter.

SAINTS FEELING THE HEAT

As we reported prior to the season, the heat is on the coaching staff and the front office of the New Orleans Saints to get their underachieving team back into the postseason.

If the Saints ain't in the playoffs come January, we're hearing that owner Tom Benson will clean house.  

Gone at a minimum will be head coach Jim Haslett, G.M. Mickey Loomis, and personnel guru Rick Mueller. 

It's far too early to speculate on potential replacements, but the typically skin-flintish Benson will need to be willing to dig deep into his pantaloons if he wants to attract a coach and a G.M. who can get the team to the next level.

POSTED 9:03 a.m. EDT, September 23, 2004

JOHNSON JACKED AT VERMEIL

The Kansas City Star reports that Chiefs running back Larry Johnson is upset with comments made by coach Dick Vermeil during his Tuesday news conference.

Discussing the strong possibility that starter Priest Holmes won't be available on Sunday against the Texans, Vermeil said that it's time for Johnson, Holmes' backup, "to take the diaper off and go play."

If the remark was intended to make Johnson feel warm and fuzzy about a coach who routinely chokes up when he talks about how much he loves his players, it didn't work.

"If the man can't say something in my face … it don't mean nothing to me," Johnson said.  But his words that followed indicate it means more than nothing to him.  "For him to say that, to point me out in that situation, [knowing] how much I really busted my [rear] through this preseason, knowing I'm ready to play, knowing I'm ready to do my share, making a comment like that is unnecessary."

Vermeil declined to withdraw the remark.

"I wasn't planning on saying that,” he said. "It just popped into my scrambled head.  But in a way, there's a little truth to it."

Thus, our advice for Johnson would be to remind the aging Vermeil before Sunday's game that it's time "to put the diaper on and go coach."

THURSDAY ONE-LINERS

As to reports that Baby Boy could lose $5.36 million in incentive money due to his broken leg, Kellen Winslow Sr. says, "I doubt that it's true."  (Pssst, Papa Bear, maybe you should read the contract that he signed.)  

Giants TE Jeremy Shockey isn't happy with the H-back responsibilities that have been placed upon him by coach Tom Coughlin.

Packers CB Mike McKenzie likely will start on Sunday at Indy, but he probably won't play the entire game as he gets back into football shape.

Vikings DE Kenny Mixon is back from a two-game suspension, and coach Mike Tice says he's "mov[ing] around like a guy that's angry" (which is far better than "driving around like a guy that's drunk").

Redskins QB Mark Brunell is recovering from a hamstring injury, and there appears to be an outside chance that he'll practice this week and play on Sunday.

Packers RB Najeh "Dookie" Davenport probably won't play on Sunday with a bad hamstring, even though he officially is listed as questionable.

With Vikings RT Mike Rosenthal out for the year, Adam Haayer and Nat Dorsey will take turns trying to slow down Bears DE Adewale Ogunleye on Sunday.

Iron Mike ain't -- Chitown denizens are up in arms about the exclusion of Coach Ditka from a sculpture of George Halas surrounded by various Bears' legends.

Bucs OT Kenyatta Walker seems to be resigned to the fact that he's out of the mix (for now) along the team's offensive line.

Vikings RB Michael Bennett practiced for the first time since Aug. 27, but he will only play if needed on Sunday.

Bucs coach Jon Gruden won't be taking snaps at quarterback in practice as Tampa prepares to play the Raiders; "I don't know the new snap count and I don't know a lot of these plays that [the Raiders] are running," Gruden said.  "Little Jonny's retired for now."

Rams DB Aeneas Williams is moving from safety back to corner, where he last played in 2002.

The Bucs-Raiders battle might be getting hyped by the media, but at least 8,000 Oakland locals who otherwise would be buying tickets to the game are unimpressed. 

Titans WR Tyrone Calico (two sprained knees) isn't practicing yet, but he's running routes and catching balls with his shoulder pads and helmet on.

QB Drew Bledsoe is getting a bit delusional when it comes to assessing objectively his performance -- and his prospects -- as the starting quarterback in Buffalo.

From the "Dumb As A Moldy Brick" file, Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger accepts G Alan Faneca's explanation that he wasn't referring to Roethlisberger when Faneca said he wasn't excited about going to work "with a young kid that just got out of college."  (Yeah, Ben, he wasn't referring to you -- he was talking about Eli Manning.)

Panthers RB Stephen Davis says that he'll be back sooner than expected from a knee injury (but he might have trouble getting his gig back if DeShaun Foster continues to perform as well as he has).

With RB Priest Holmes and WR Eddie Kennison unlikely to play on Sunday due to injuries, the Chiefs should get accustomed to staring at 0-3 next to "Kansas City" in the newspaper on Monday.

Lions CB Dre' Bly wants to get back on the field, despite strained knee ligaments that will keep him from practicing this week.

The Colts waived No. 2 QB Joe Hamilton and then signed him to the practice squad, taking a "calculated risk" that no other team would claim him.

Though ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli has removed from his recent "Morning After" column any reference to the erroneous report that Marvin Demoff was the agent who paid $100,000 to charity as part of the recent sanctions imposed on the Broncos, Len P. has yet to officially retract the report -- or apologize for it.   

Jags DE Paul Spicer is done for the year after having a plate inserted into his leg to stabilize a broken fibula; coach Jack Del Rio expects Broncos OT Matt Lepsis to be fined for the hit that caused the injury.

Falcons RB Warrick Dunn is questionable for Sunday with a sprained knee.

Per team statistics, the Eagles hurried Vikings QB Daunte Culpepper on 20 of 47 pass attempts.

The Broncos cut QB Matt Mauck and will sign him to the practice squad if he clears waivers.

POSTED 8:41 a.m. EDT, September 22, 2004

CHIEFS TIRING OF KENNISON

Word out of Kansas City is that several Chiefs players are getting sick of Eddie Kennison's injury complaints, which are perceived by some as exaggerations of minor conditions.

Kennison's status for Sunday is in doubt due to a hamstring injury.  Some teammates, however, are skeptical.

Kennison's perception isn't aided by the fact that he quit on the Broncos in 2001.  Though he generally has been reliable since joining the Chiefs, whispers are swirling that perhaps Kennison is getting weary of football, again.

WILLIAMS ARBITRATION PROCEEDS

As LaVar Arrington's $6 million claim against the Redskins gathers dust while perched on the NFL's back burner, the Dolphins already have finagled a hearing as to their $8.6 million arbitration claim against Ricky Williams.

Jason Cole of the Miami Herald suggests that the hearing, which included no testimony because the facts are not in dispute, likely will lead to a result in the Dolphins' favor, citing the outcome of past claims against Eddie Kennison, Dale Carter, and Barry Sanders.

Still, Williams' case involves two novel issues, both of which could go either way, in our opinion.  

First, the claim for repayment of a portion of Williams' signing bonus traces to the money he received when he signed with the Saints in 1999.  The Fins never paid the money and bore no burden for it under the cap.  Thus, they should have no claim to it.

Second, the claim for reimbursement of incentive money applies to cash paid for performance rendered.  

Still, the contract says what it says, and we doubt that anyone will give Ricky a pass merely because the outcome doesn't "seem" fair.

Finally, if the Fins prevail, our understanding is that Ricky will owe a certain amount every year that he doesn't play for the Dolphins.  He could, then, stop the bleeding by returning next year, which could be what the team in the end is hoping to force, if for no reason other than to trade him and pick up some value.

WINSLOW COULD LOSE BIG MONEY

Browns tight end Kellen Winslow's contract contains a glitch that, given his broken leg, could hit him in the pocket book.

First reported a couple of weeks ago by Liz Mullen of the Sports Business Journal, Winslow's contract contains a "falling off the log" incentive that pays him more than $5 million if he participates in a mere 35 percent of the team's offensive plays.

The problem is that, while most rookie contracts containing this trigger carry it from year to year until it is earned, Winslow has only one shot at earning the money.  Specifically, he has to do it this year, or he loses it.

To get 35 percent of the offensive snaps, Winslow has to play all of roughly five and one-half games.  Since his injury came at the end of Sunday's loss to the Cowboys, he needs to be back for at least four games to get the money.

If the Browns put him on injured reserve, he won't get the money.  If the Browns hold him out until early December, it's gonna be close.

The fault for this one, of course, falls to Winslow's agents, Carl and Kevin Poston, who failed to ensure that the language would apply beyond 2004.

Kevin Poston defended the contract on Tuesday, according to the Cleveland Plain-Dealer.

"I know the contract very well.  I'm very proud of the contract.  You don't always get everything you want," he said.

"When you look at Kellen's deal, for the sixth overall pick, it's a very good deal.  Anybody can look at a contract and pick over it and that sort of stuff.  I'm not going to get into that."

Poston won't get into it because there's no good way out of it.  His comments suggest that they tried to get the incentive language pushed into future years, and the Browns said no.

Thinking back to the negotiation process, during which the Browns publicized their "best offer" and then proceeded to exceed it, we doubt that the Browns insisted on limiting the incentive payment to 2004, since that type of incentive typically is viewed by teams as an NLTBE giveaway for the purposes of calculating guaranteed money and figuring cap hits.

The bottom line is that, over the past nine months, the Postons have made errors that potentially have cost two of their clients (Winslow and Redskins linebacker LaVar Arrington) a total of $12 million bucks.

We sure hope that Carl and Kevin have a good insurance policy.

WEDNESDAY ONE-LINERS

QB Patrick Ramsey likely will start this week as Mark Brunell continues to recover from a hamstring pull.

The Vikings have lost TE Jim Kleinsasser and RT Mike Rosenthal for the rest of the season.

Jets G.M. Terry Bradway denies rumors that RB LaMont Jordan will be traded to the Raiders.

Former Green Bay RB Paul Hornung suggests that QB Bobby Layne tanked the 1958 College All-Star Game by throwing six interceptions because Layne had money on the team of college players.

Broncos DE Trevor Pryce will miss six weeks due to back surgery.

Broncos CB Champ Bailey has participated in 19 snaps on offense in two games.

The Bears won't have promising young CB Charles "Peanut" Tillman when they face the Vikings and WR Randy Moss on Sunday.

The Bengals signed C Jerry Fontenot last Thursday, and he played in every offensive snap on Sunday night.

49ers C Jeremy Newberry had surgery on his right knee on Tuesday; no timetable has been set for his return, and there's a chance he'll miss the entire season.

Agent Ken Sarnoff claims that Cardinals WR Anquan Boldin was pilfered from his client list by Drew Rosenhaus.

Former Cards C Pete Kendall (who now plays for the Jets) is willing to pursue a grievance over his abrupt release from the Cardinals, but the NFLPA isn't interested in pushing it.

Chargers LB Carlos Polk, the special teams captain, will miss the rest of the season with a shoulder injury.

An appeals court upheld the dismissal of the wrongful death action filed on behalf of Vikings OT Korey Stringer.

Redskins DL Phillip Daniels sought a second opinion Tuesday on his ailing groin.

Jets LB Sam Cowart will miss 4-6 weeks with a sprained knee.

The Rams are still looking for a kick returner who will make them forget about Tony Horne, a key part of the team's 1999 Super Bowl run.

Bucs No. 2 QB Chris Simms isn't griping about the decision of coach Jon Gruden to put Brad Johnson back under center.

The Steelers have promoted QB Brian St. Pierre to the active roster and signed 30-year-old QB Mike Quinn to the practice squad; the move came after the Steelers tried to get QB Neil O'Donnell to come out of retirement.

Chiefs CB Eric Warfield could do real time for his latest DUI charge, since a conviction would be his third offense.

Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga showed up at the team's facility on Tuesday to offer his 0-2 team some "support"; his next visit might not be so cordial, if the team's fortunes don't change quickly.

The Falcons are keeping quiet (for now) on the details regarding RB Warrick Dunn's injury status.

Panthers DT Kris Jenkins has a partial shoulder dislocation, and surgery will not be required.

Dolphins TE Randy McMichael says he has no regrets for being caught on camera berating teammates during Sunday's loss to the Bengals (after all, he didn't hit any of them . . . and none were pregnant).

The Browns have waived RB Dee Brown to create space for players signed to fill injury voids.

POSTED 4:17 p.m. EDT, September 21, 2004

DEMOFF RESPONDS TO BRONCOS RUMORS

We received a call on Tuesday afternoon from Marvin Demoff, who wanted to clear the air regarding rumors that he is the agent who paid $100,000 to charity in connection with sanctions imposed on the Broncos for cap violations that have tarnished those late 1990s "back-to-back Super Bowl wins . . . and twins."

Demoff said that neither he nor Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway have been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with an investigation that has resulted in two separate fines and the loss of two separate third-round picks by the Broncos over the past three years.

The real culprit, as reported by the NFL Network, is (drum roll, please) Tom Condon of IMG.

Condon represented Tony Jones at the time, and the Broncos promised not to waive Jones before a certain date, which should have converted an upcoming roster bonus into a guaranteed payment for cap calculation purposes.  Since Condon represents NFLPA executive director Gene Upshaw, the chances of Condon receiving any "real" discipline (such as the summary decertification imposed on IMG turncoat Darrell Will) were remote.

We therefore must put on our stiffest Dan Rather lip and apologize for reporting on erroneous speculation that Demoff was the culprit.  Though we were careful to 'splain that the Sunday report indeed was speculation only, the information nevertheless was incorrect, and we regret that.

Along those same lines, Demoff told us that he had a more pointed conversation on Tuesday with ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli, who sauntered into the town of Libel when he reported -- not speculated -- that Demoff paid the fine.

Demoff said that he has given Pasquarelli 24 hours to deal with the issue.  Apparently, Len has gotten the message, since we can't find the story anywhere on the ESPN.com site.

Stay tuned.

POSTED 8:21 a.m. EDT, September 21, 2004

BILLS' PROBLEMS TRACE TO TOM

With the Buffalo Bills again stumbling out of the gates, thanks in large part to a lackluster offense that hasn't improved despite the firing of a defensive-minded coach and the hiring of a supposed offensive guru, folks around the league are pointing the finger more decisively in the direction of G.M. Tom Donahoe.

Donahoe has, for the most part, evaded criticism for his role in assembling a collection of players and coaches that can neither score points nor win games on a consistent basis.  Several league insiders have been telling us for more than a year that Donahoe is the culprit, but Donahoe has been able to keep his responsibility for the team's misfortunes under wraps via a calculating approach to the media.  

He gives the big guns good information, and the big guns never put him in their sights.

We don't know how long it will last.  Guys like ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli, who fits in few places other than Donahoe's back pocket, have been conspicuously silent regarding the team's current state.

Some of the beat writers, however, are already starting to heap the blame for this season's performance on Donahoe.  Per Leo Roth, for example, of the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle:  "By firing Williams and keeping most of the same players, general manager Tom Donahoe was telling us that coaching was to blame for last season's 6-10 record.  At 0-2 this year, when do we start asking whether maybe Donahoe's players aren't good enough?"

Meanwhile, it's becoming a foregone conclusion that Donahoe's self-heralded trade with the Patriots for quarterback Drew Bledsoe (including a marching band for Bledsoe's Buffalo arrival) was a mistake.  At the time, Donahoe boasted that he would have given up more than a first-round pick for Bledsoe.  The Pats, who supposedly had Bledsoe stolen from them, are drowning their sorrows by starting at two Lombardis that Bledsoe, the first overall pick in the 1993 draft who never got his job back after being injured during the 2001 season, had nothing to do with. 

TUESDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS

Bucs coach Jon Gruden says he's going with QB Brad Johnson as his starter this week, despite pulling him in the first half of Sunday's loss to the Seahawks for Chris Simms (psst, Brad, don't get too comfortable).

Pats coach Bill Belichick says in a book to be released this week that former New England coach Bill Parcells was talking to the Jets about their head coaching vacancy during preparations for Super Bowl XXXI against the Packers.

Jason Whitlock of the Kansas City Star delves into the strange dynamic between the Chiefs and RB Priest Holmes.

The Cowboys might put rookie RB Julius Jones on injured reserve with a broken shoulder blade.

Browns coach Butch Davis defended the decision to use TE Kellen Winslow on the onside kick team with six seconds left against the Cowboys; Winslow suffered a broken leg on the play and will miss 8-10 weeks.

As he continues to acquire more leverage over a Tampa team that is sinking quickly, WR Keenan McCardell's status is unchanged.

Don't count Steelers G Alan Faneca among those who are excited by the fact that rookie QB Ben Roethlisberger will be taking the reins while QB Tommy Maddox is injured.  "No, it's not exciting," Faneca said.  "Do you want to go work with some little young kid who's just out of college?"

The Jags might be bringing back DE Tony Brackens to replace DE Paul Spicer, who suffered a gruesome broken leg on Sunday against the Broncos.

The Chiefs and C Casey Wiegmann are close to reaching a three-year extension worth $2.7 million per year.

Return-not-so-specialist Lamont Not-So-Brightful was cut Monday by the Fins after fumbling three punts on Sunday night.

Jets DT Josh Evans will miss 8-12 weeks due to impending back surgery.

The Lions cut WR David Kircus (again) and signed WR/KR Reggie Swinton; Kircus will be added back to the practice squad if he clears waivers.

Rams coach Mike Martz concedes that the team has "to fix some things" following a 31-17 loss to the Falcons.

RB Edgerrin James is questionable with a strained hamstring, which occurred during a game-clinching 30-yard touchdown run.

Dolphins DT Larry Chester will miss the rest of the season after suffering a torn ACL on a play that he claimed was an illegal block.

Giants TE Jeremy Shockey isn't complaining (yet) about his new role as a part-time backfield blocker.

Jacksonville rookie WR Ernest Wilford, who has two catches and two key touchdowns in his two games, could be moving up the depth chart.

Chiefs CB Eric Warfield was charged with DUI early Monday.

Dolphins FB Rob Konrad likely will be listed as doubtful for Sunday as he continues to recovery from surgery on a bursal infection in his leg.

Titans LB Rocky Calmus has been slowed by a bum right knee, but an MRI showed no major damage.

Broncos coach Mike Shanahan says he isn't concerned by RB Quentin Griffin's critical late game ball drop, which wasn't the result of a strip.

Bears S Mike Brown is out for the year with a ruptured Achilles.

The Jaguars apparently have figured out the connection between winning games and putting asses in the seats.

POSTED 9:48 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 10:21 p.m. EDT, September 20, 2004

McCOWN GETTING McBENCHED?

Word around the league is that Cardinals quarterback Josh McCown soon could be benched by coach Dennis Green.

The problem, of course, is that the Cards don't have a viable alternative at No. 2.  The only options are Shaun King and rookie John Navarre.

We wouldn't be shocked to see Green add rocket-armed Jeff George to the mix, given that George had perhaps his most effective season as a pro in 1999 for Green's Vikings.

Either way, Green needs to do something, if for no reason other than to avert a mutiny.  We're told that, during Sunday's game, players were yelling on the sideline to "take [McCown] the f--k out of the game."

As the Associated Press reports, Green said on Monday that he plans "to look at everything" as he attempts to pump up the team's lackluster offense.

We're told that, after Sunday's loss to the Patriots, Green went on a locker-room rampage, which included throwing helmets (without heads in them).

SMOOT RUNNING HIS MOUTH

We're hearing that loquacious Redskins defensive back Fred Smoot was even more talkative than usual on Sunday against the Giants -- even as he was getting toasted by the New York offense.

How bad was it?  Word is that Giants players and Redskins players were advising Smoot to "shut the f--k up" during the game.

BEARS LOVING LOVIE

Word out of Chitown is that the Bears are smitten with new coach Lovie Smith, who picked up the first win of career at Lambeau Field, spoiling the Packers' home opener.

League insiders characterize Smith as a Coughlin-Parcells type of a coach, "without all the media scrutiny and the two-bit rules."

For the Bears, there's no win more important that a win over the hated Packers, and getting a "W" over the Cheeseheads in Smith's first effort -- while on the road -- is the kind of thing that will take a lot of heat off of the rookie head coach.

EARLY TUESDAY ONE-LINERS

QB Ken Dorsey could keep the starting job in San Fran even after Tim "Ding Du Jour" Rattay comes back from a separated shoulder.

Saints RB Deuce McAllister will miss 4-5 weeks with a sprained ankle.

Larry Fitzgerald Sr. is pissed at St. Paul Pioneer Press writer Charley Walters, who said in an August 15 column, "You've got to wonder how long it will take Arizona Cardinals coach Denny Green to negatively affect the personality of nice guy rookie receiver Larry Fitzgerald Jr. of Minneapolis."

The Broncos have acquired DT Ellis Johnson from the Falcons for a conditional 2005 pick; Johnson refused to report to Atlanta after the team opted not to give him a new contract.

Raiders WR Jerry Rice apologized for acting like a weenie when he realized that he wouldn't get a catch in game for the first time since his rookie year of 1985.

Steelers QB Tommy Maddox will miss at least six weeks with a torn ligament and tendon damage in his right elbow.

RB Priest Holmes is questionable for next week's game with a sprained ankle.

Broncos DE Trevor Pryce will travel to California on Tuesday for a second opinion on his ailing back.

Browns DE Courtney Brown will miss the rest of the season with a torn ligament in his foot.

Cowboys RB Julius Jones will miss two months with a broken shoulder blade.

POSTED 11:40 a.m. EDT, September 19, 2004

ELWAY'S AGENT PAID THE $100,000 FINE?

There's speculation running rampant in league circles that Marvin Demoff, who represented Broncos quarterback John Elway during his playing career, is the agent who donated $100,000 to charity as part of the resolution of the NFL's investigation into allegations that the Broncos circumvented the salary cap from 1996 to 1998 by deferring compensation for several players and by promising not to waive at least one player prior to a certain date, essentially converting a roster bonus into a guaranteed payment that should have been prorated over the remaining life of his contract. 

On Thursday, the NFL announced that it fined the Broncos $950,000 and stripped the team of a third-round pick in the 2005 draft for the salary cap violations. 

Elway is the most logical and obvious target of suspicion, since he'd been with the team for more than a decade and was aching to get his fingers on a certain silver football with a stump.

And it's the second time the Broncos have been nailed for their actions during the years that resulted in two opportunities for Elway to fondle the Lombardi.  In 2001, the team paid another near-seven-figure fine and coughed up a third-round pick over payments made to Elway and running back Terrell Davis.  

Need further proof that Broncos were looking for creative ways to keep Elway on the field and happy with his coin during the latter years of his career?  Look no farther than the still-lingering legal battle between Pat Bowlen and former team owner Edgar Kaiser.  That brouhaha got started because Bowlen offered Elway -- while he was still on the payroll -- a 10 percent interest in the team for $15 million and another 10 percent share "designed in part to compensate Elway for playing another season and forgoing his planned retirement." 

Although Elway didn't take Bowlen up on his offer, the fact that the offer even was made tells us that the Broncos were willing to do whatever they could to keep Elway and a quality supporting cast on the field -- even if it meant giving the players side compensation (in the form of a chunk of the pink slip) or engaging in the activities for which the team already has been slapped, twice.

In fact, we're surprised that the NFL hasn't slapped the Broncos already for offering Elway such thinly-disguised value, which surely would not have been part of Elway's cap number.

Of course the Broncos now insist that they did these things to help with cash flow in connection with the construction of a new stadium, and that they gained no competitive advantage.  The easiest way to refute this claim would be to examine the amount of cap room they had left in 1996 through 1998.  If they were scraping the ceiling even with the improper payments and promises, then their explanation that they derived no competitive benefit simply isn't credible.  

Back to Demoff, we find it somewhat odd that his penalty (if he indeed is the agent who paid the 100 large to charity) wasn't a suspension or a decertification.  Though we don't know enough about the specific agent rules to say that a payment to charity is beyond the realm of potential sanctions, we can't recall many/any agents being required to take that route when they run afoul of the rules.

The bottom line is that the Broncos cheated, and that at least one agent and multiple players were in on the ruse.  Absent proof that the cap charges in question could have been absorbed without releasing and/or letting other players leave via free agency, our conclusion is that the Broncos' twin silver trophies are tarnished, permanently.

POSTED 8:33 a.m. EDT, September 18, 2004

MOSS SOUNDS OFF

Vikings receiver Randy Moss, a player who by all accounts has matured into a leader on his team, apparently is now trying to use his status as a way to effect change in the organization.

And he's using his trademark "tell it like it should be" style.

"There's a lot of (expletive) around here that needs to be changed," Moss told the St. Paul Pioneer Press.  "You name it — from people, to the administration, all the way to the (expletive) Metrodome.

"If I was the owner or general manager, I would do it.  But I'm not, so to hell with it.

"It's a whole lot of stuff out there that a lot of people complain about," he said. "But at the same time, when them lights come on at 12 o'clock (at the Metrodome), you're not even thinking about complaining.  You're thinking about playing football.

"But after that game, you come here (to Winter Park) on Monday, and we still got to come look at this piece-of-(expletive) facility, this piece-of-(expletive) floor."

Moss has no complaints, however, about coach Mike Tice.  In fact, Moss's words regarding Tice could be interpreted as a backhanded slap at former coach Denny Green -- the only other head coach for whom Moss has played.

"He shows us the most love (since) I've been here, as far as getting us here to work, stop beating around the bush and getting us out of here," Moss said.  "If you want us to perform on Sunday, then give us some love throughout the week.

"Coach Tice is well-respected around here," he said. "I mean, guys love him, and the reason guys love him is because he's straightforward and he doesn't beat around the bush, and he doesn't sugarcoat anything.  When you have guys' attention … that can only take you to the top."

SATURDAY ONE-LINERS

Eagles WR Terrell Owens says he sees the same coverages that Vikings WR Randy Moss sees, but expert opinions say Moss gets far more aggressive coverage.

Though Packers S Darren Sharper says CB Mike McKenzie doesn't appear winded in drills, coach Mike Sherman hasn't decided whether he will play on Sunday.

Jags DT John Henderson doesn't know what he did to get a $5,000 fine from the league for a hit in the team's week one game.

Broncos coach Mike Shanahan is unfazed by a forfeited draft pick resulting from salary cap violations from 1996 through 1998 (we'd be unfazed, too, since the violations apparently helped load up two championship teams; in fact, if we were Shanny we'd be far more concerned about the question of whether Elway's "back-to-back Super Bowl wins . . . and twins" are tainted by proof that the Broncos cheated).

Redskins LB LaVar Arrington was downgraded to questionable with a knee injury suffered against the Bucs on Sept. 12.

Chargers C Jason Ball has ended his holdout and has reported to the team; he won't get paid until Oct. 10 because the team put him on the roster exempt list.

Pats TE Ben Watson also has been downgraded to questionable due to a knee injury.

The 'Hawks will make a game-time decision on whether RB Shaun Alexander, who has a bruised knee, will play.

Steelers CB Chad Scott's sore groin won't keep him from playing with it on Sunday (maybe that should have been worded differently).

The NFL slapped Denver CB Champ Bailey and CB Lenny Walls with fines of $5,000 each for "premeditated, prolonged, and excessive celebration" in Sunday night's win against the Chiefs.

POSTED 3:15 p.m. EDT, September 17, 2004

by Len Lasagna

IVAN AIN'T THE ONLY THING BLOWIN' IN N.O

After last week's 21-7 shellacking by the Seattle Seahawks, we hear the noose is getting tighter on the Coach Jim Haslett/GM Mickey Loomis two-headed underachieving monster.  One NFL source told us that the Saints appeared "disinterested and disorganized -- and looking like they couldn't wait to get the fu-- off the field" -- in last week's loss.  We have been reporting for months that this is a make or break year for the current 'Aints regime -- and based on the fact that New Orleans is 12-25 (.324) in September games during the past decade (the NFL's fourth-worst record in the span) and is 5-8 in September under coach Jim Haslett, we don't see Jimbo and The Mick being around for crawfish next year at this time.

We also hear that Saints owner Tom "The Dancing Idio -- uh -- Man" Benson is thinking of putting the team up for sale. Like all long term owners of NFL franchises, Uncle Sam and his federal estate (death) tax can make holding on to a high valued asset (even if it is the Saints) a balance sheet rich/cash poor dilemma -- thereby mandating some estate planning now (in the form of trading the footballs for the ducats).

TICE IS TICKED

Per several NFL sources, the lack of movement on a contract extension for Viking coach Mike Tice is starting to grate on The Overt Acting One's nerves.  Tice, whose current deal ends after this season, still is waiting  to get a new deal done -- and not at the bargain basement pay scale he currently earns.  Problem is that owner Red "Buy My Used Car" McCombs is trying to sell the Vikes -- and the lower the liabilities of your company are (i.e., no long term high priced coaching contract to pay), the more coin you get from team buyers.

Look for Tice to tell the team to move the coin talky-talk to the front burner or he will end any extension talks.  The problem, however, is that Tice doesn't have much leverage, yet.  Though the team can dump him after the season at no expense, the team holds an option on Tice for 2005.

POSTED 8:50 a.m. EDT, September 16, 2004

ANGELO STILL SNIFFING AROUND KEENAN

Yours truly has been out of the NFL loop for the past few days do to a trial that has consumed nearly all waking moments for the last week (don't you hate it when your job gets in the way of your hobbies?), but with a one-day break in the trial proceedings, it was high time to reclaim the keys to this here site (albeit temporarily) from Len Lasagna.

We've heard rumors from several difference sources that the Bears continue to be interested in receiver Keenan McCardell of the Bucs, and that G.M. Jerry Angelo's interest in Keenan piqued after David Terrell was called for taunting on Sunday, notwithstanding the fact that the former first-rounder had a career-high in receiving yards.  We're told that Terrell generally acted like an ass for much of training camp and the preseason, and that Angelo wants veteran leadership at the position to replace the hole left by Marty Booker.

Per our official Chitown mole, the deal that the Bears have in mind is McCardell and a fourth-round pick for running back Anthony Thomas.

MORE ON DIRECTV FIASCO

We worked ourselves up into a full-blown lather over the weekend regarding the refusal of DirecTV to air the Titans-Dolphins game, moved to Saturday due to the then-unknown path of Hurricane Ivan.  On Sunday, we called DirecTV to request a refund, and politely were told to get bent.

The reasoning, we explained to the customer service rep and her supervisor, is simple.  The promised product was not delivered.  The value for the product should be returned, in the form of a partial refund.  DirecTV then should seek from the NFL a partial refund of the money that the NFL is paid for the rights to air the games.

Perhaps that logic was too complex for the folks at the call center.

We've had several inquiries from folks who want to pursue a class action against DirecTV for a partial refund, and we're still considering whether to do it.  In fact, since yours truly is one of the members of the proposed class, yours truly could (in theory) be the named plaintiff and the lawyer on behalf of all of the fine folks who got screwed out of watching the Titans-Dolphins game.  

We've also heard complaints from readers regarding new blackout rules that are removing from the DirecTV signal any games that are available on local channels.  But since local channels are not yet available on DirecTV in all markets, we're not sure how this is affecting folks who choose satellite over cable in those places where the local channels have not yet become available on DirecTV.

Finally, as to the question of whether the NFL jeopardized its antitrust exemption by airing the Saturday game from telecast stations within 75 miles of intercollegiate contests, there's a rumor that the NFL secured a waiver of the exception to the antitrust exemption.  We sent an e-mail on Sunday to Greg Aiello of the NFL for clarification, but he has not responded (which makes us think that no waiver was obtained, and that the NFL has opted simply to keep its mouth shut and its head low on this potentially costly issue, if/when the league is next sued for antitrust).   

The media generally has continued to ignore the problem, but NPR aired a commentary on this issue on Wednesday, with an explanation of the history of the law preventing the NFL from broadcasting Saturday games.  But in the intro to the piece, the NPR talking head says that the NFL could not air the game "on a nationwide basis."  But this conflicts with the plain language of 15 U.S.C. 1293, which says that the antitrust exemption will be forfeited if the game is telecast on any station within 75 miles of an intercollegiate or high school contest.

ELLIOTT MAKES JUMBO PAYMENT

It's practically a footnote in both Newsday and the New York Times, but we think the story merits a little more attention than that.

Former Jets offensive lineman Jumbo Elliott has agreed to pay limo driver Donald Matinsky the whopping sum of $250,000 for injuries sustained by Matinsky after Elliott "allegedly" (wink, nod) threw Matinsky to the ground during a December 2002 altercation.

That's a lot of coin for a guy who suffered an injured knee, and it raises a few questions.

First, why didn't Elliott take the case to trial?  If Matinsky merely had an injured knee, we'd be inclined to take our chances with a jury if the only alternative were to fork over $250,000.  

Of course, it's possible that there's more to the story.  Since the injury was the result of intentional misconduct, Elliott might have feared an award of punitive damages.  And if Matinsky were able to persuade the jury via his testimony that the altercation with Elliott (who might or might not have been lubricated with one or more fermented beverages) was essentially David vs. Goliath II with a ban on foreign objects, the jury could have been motivated to stick it to Elliott.

Second, where does Elliott come up with that kind of coin?  Regardless of what he has in the bank, it's gotta hurt to write a check like that -- especially since Elliott had to earn about $450,000 to end up with $250,000 after taxes.

He might have insurance for this kind of thing, but typically intentional acts are excluded.  It's nevertheless possible that Matinsky's lawyer was able to fashion a negligence claim of some sort against Elliott (e.g., negligent swallowing of one of more fermented beverages), which might have unlocked insurance coverage.

Third, why in the hell is the information in the newspapers?  Most civil defendants will fork over big coin (or any coin at all) only in exchange for an express guarantee that the payment will be confidential.  We're amazed that Elliott allowed his agreed payment to be publicized.

The bottom line is that this example should be a lesson to any NFL player who wants to go out and through his weight around: 

If you break it, you bought it.

And if a busted knee is worth $250,000, more serious injuries intentionally inflicted by NFL players could end up imposing staggering liability. 

POSTED 11:05 a.m. EDT, September 15, 2004

by Len Lasagna

POSTONS WILL WANT TO GET PAID

Notwithstanding all the ass clapping in the NFL community about the Poston brothers losing their star client Orlando Pace of the Rams, don't think the Hard Ass brothers will not tried to get paid their fee incident to Pace recently signing -- listing himself as his agent --  the $7.02 million franchise tender offer with the Rams.  In a article written by Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the suggestion is made that Pace could have saved himself almost $210,000 in agent fees (if the Postons charged him the maximum NFLPA-allowed fee of 3%) by sh-t canning the Torture Brothers before signing his new contract.

We hear, however, that if Pace does not pay, the Postons will most likely attempt to recover their fee from The Mammoth One (or as much as they can get) via the grievance process promulgated by NFLPA regulations -- their argument primarily being that the signature by Pace on the contract sans agent was merely a formality and a byproduct of the ongoing negotiation process (is asking for a $27 million signing bonus negotiation or hallucination?), thereby entitling the Postons to their fee.

In fact, this strategy can be confirmed by recent statements of Carl Poston, which he stated: "'I've encouraged him to come in. I've instructed him to sign the one-year tender. But I can't make the big fellow come in.  He's frustrated with the team.'''

Our prediction: Pace doesn't pay.  Postons file a grievance.  Pace and Postons eventually settle.  It will interesting to see if the Brothers Harsh will be as tough in getting their own fee as they are in trying to get dough for their clients.

McKENZIE AND AGENT BLINK

In the ongoing NFL saga known as "Who Is My Agent Today?", Packer holdout/whiner/miserable guy Mike "You're My Agent This Time -- Really" McKenzie will rejoin Team Lombardi today, ending his ill advised holdout. The Packer corner, who was upset with the remaining salaries of $2.75, $3.43 and $4.1 million on a contract he signed in 2001, still, according to his Agent Drew "I Never Met A Microphone I Didn't Like" Rosenhaus, wants to be traded.  Our Packer sources have indicated that this will happen "when we want it to and not when the player feels like a deal that he signed willingly is no longer a bragging right thing amongst his friends in the league."

In a related story, we here at Profootballtalk are investigating a claim that McKenzie was recently spotted sifting thru the NFLPA agent book, supposedly muttering "If I can't get the highest contract then I'm gonna get the highest number of agents, godammit." 

WEDNESDAY ONE LINERS

Like us, Mike Shanahan has had enough of the dumb ass taunting in the league.

Bears QB fantasizes about throwing a TD pass -- reality sets in and he immediately goes back to throwing picks.

Steeler LB Kendrell Bell still needs his groin massaged.

Another article about Empero -- uh -- Coach Tom Coughlin and his discipline mindset.

Kordell Stewart sighting -- in the NFL, not with Boy George.

Panthers are reeling after one game -- can you say "Hello 3rd place"?